Toph
by Avatar1013
Summary: A collection of poems about Toph. About her childhood, love life, bending, beliefs, fighting, feelings, heart, anything and everything. Rating may change for later poems. Pairings: Uh, she likes Sokka? Aside from that, nothing much... Please R&R! :D
1. Hope

_Toph_

This one is pretty much just about Toph. Her mind, heart, her life. It's just her. I hope you enjoy my first ever fanfiction story. Please R&R! Thanks!!

**Disclaimer:** … … …I'm not gonna' say it… … … …nope… … … …you can't make me… … …uh, no you can't… … … …yeah, I wanna' see you try! …oh, snap you've got a bat! Okay, okay, fine! … *sigh* v.v I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender, there I said it! Now get off my back!! … … …sorry… … …

_I take a step through the grass,_

_It is tall, tender, and flexible as the breeze brushes by._

_I feel a fly-away blossom graze my cheek_

_The wind is soft, cool, relaxing._

_Never before had I felt so peaceful,_

_Calm,_

_Happy._

_All of my days I'd been,_

_Locked away for a life of,_

_Escorts and guards,_

_Manners and rules,_

_Evening gowns and satin slippers,_

_Imprisonment._

_I could never speak my,_

_Mind or heart._

_I was forbidden by,_

_Sweet, polite mommy, and_

_Caring, proud daddy._

_That's what I'd been told,_

_But I saw through those lies._

_They were embarrassed,_

_Not proud._

_Ashamed,_

_Not caring._

_Disappointed,_

_Not loving._

_Still, from my deprived childhood I grew strong._

_I'd learned young that,_

_Adults always lie,_

_Tears are a sign of weakness,_

_Power is key,_

_Suffering in silence is best for all._

_Earthbending has changed me from a helpless child into the fighter I am today._

_It taught me to,_

_Defend myself,_

_Escape from home,_

_Make something of my life,_

_See._

_I see the earth,_

_Movement,_

_Lies,_

_Everything I needed to, I thought._

_But I've never seen,_

_The warm sun,_

_Cooling rain,_

_Beautiful colors,_

_My own face._

_My eyes are a curse._

_Life has shown me that,_

_People have shown me that,_

_My parents have told me so._

_As a small child, I always wondered,_

_Why I couldn't play with the other girls my age,_

_How there could be an entire world outside my prison,_

_What I'd done to deserve my blindness, my fate._

_I still wonder._

_Although now, I have a real family and I'm,_

_Happy._

_My mother, Katara, cares for me and is always ready to hug and talk to,_

_My brothers, Aang and Zuko, watch out for me and are always ready to fight,_

_And then there's Sokka:_

_My protective father,_

_My sarcastic brother,_

_My sensitive friend,_

_My first secret love._

_He'll never see, though, my heart,_

_As I'll never see his face, but,_

_He'll still feel my smiles,_

_As I'll still feel his heartbeat._

_We never leave each other's sides._

_Now I have two families,_

_One that needs me, and,_

_One that wants me, however,_

_Both love me._

_Of that, I hope._

_Hope._

_A funny word in a time like this._

_While my people from all over the world cherish it and embrace it,_

_Like they do the memories of their fallen soldiers and long-lost families,_

_I'd long ago lost mine._

_All around me there is nothing but,_

_Hate, war, revenge, anger._

_Then I take a deep breath._

_I close my eyes, open my heart, and,_

_I see all around me,_

_Love, peace, laughter, joy,_

_And I know I'm home._

_I'll never have to leave or change,_

_I couldn't anyway,_

_But here, I'm understood,_

_And now I'm loved._

_I no longer lie awake at night thinking to myself,_

_What if I was normal?_

_What if I never left?_

_What if I ended it all now?_

_I sleep peacefully at night knowing in my heart_

_I am special as can be,_

_Perfect in my own way,_

_Lucky as the stars,_

_And alive._

_And I feel,_

_Hopeful._

_It's late now, but the breeze is still blowing,_

_The grass still dances along my feet,_

_And all the flowers have long ago fallen off the trees._

_I close my eyes, and hear_

_The wind whisper in my ear,_

_The melody of tiny insects crawling about,_

_The soft patter of raindrops as they hit the ground._

_It's raining now, and I'm getting wet, but_

_I smile, because for once,_

_As tears fall freely from the stormy skies,_

_I don't cry with the clouds._


	2. Please Try to Understand

This poem is about Toph and parents. This is probably what she might confess to them about her feelings growing up and her (current and past) relationship with her parents. I hope you enjoy and review!

**Disclaimer:** …(do I have to?... … …really?... …like, for serious?...and what if I don't?... … …oh…uh-huh…oh, okay…I see…fine)…I do NOT own Avatar: the Last Airbender…never have, never will…(but wouldn't that be awesome, though? I'd be all like, Azula, die! And, you, die! And-oww! Shutting up, shutting up! …you can put the bat away, now… …please?)... … …

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_How can I make you understand? _

_You've never even tried._

_I can walk on my own two feet now,_

_I can make my own decisions in life,_

_I can speak for myself by myself,_

_I can handle the world's anger and strife._

_I need to make mistakes and break rules,_

_I need to break away and explore the skies,_

_I need to breathe in my own space,_

_I need to be able to stand up and fight._

_I want to run wild and free,_

_I want to scream for days on end,_

_I want a day to myself and my needs,_

_I want a friend._

_I want ears to listen to my worries,_

_I want a hand to hold if I fall,_

_I want a shoulder to lean onto as I tire,_

_I want someone to depend on through it all._

_I need to know where home really is,_

_I need someone to tell me it's okay to cry,_

_I need a mother who suffocates me with hugs not accessories,_

_I need a father who sees past my eyes._

_I can walk alone, but I want you nearby,_

_I can't choose all the paths correctly, help me on those,_

_I can talk for me, but I wish you'd talk to me,_

_I can't take on the world alone._

_I want you to know,_

_You need to let go, _

_So I can be on my own._

_How can I make you understand?_

_Please try._


	3. Toph's True Eyes

Here's another poem. It's about...you guessed it: Toph's _true_ eyes. (Shocker!) Well, enjoy!

Disclaimer: ...I still don't get why I have to keep repeating myself...oh...fine, but I'll only say it once, so you all better listen up! I do NOT own A:tLA, Toph, or her bloody, filthy feet, honestly have you seen them? They're-owch!! ...It's always that one little comment and you break out the bat! If you weren't so...you know, _you_...then I'd have guessed you played Major League or something! ...Here we go again with the bat...*sighs* ...*runs off screaming*...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Black, Darkness

Is what she sees through her eyes

Hope, Freedom

Is what everyone else sees in her eyes

Her

Eyes, green like the sea, and misty like the fog that hovers above its rolling waves

Face, pale like the moon, with hair black like the ravens that fly through the night sky

Hands, soft like new silk, though tough like the jagged earth they bend through the air

Feet, small like that of a child's, they make her see

They guide her through

Dirt and water

Grass and wind

Battles and wars

Life

Hers are special though, for

They help her to see where the path splits

Guide her through the mistakes

Lead her to further success, and

Walk her to the next turn

She sees through

Rock, earth, sand, even lies

But not the lies she makes

To her heart thinking

Her feet are all she has

They are the key to her skills but

The feet don't make the warrior

The warrior moves the feet

To take the first step to becoming

Who they are

She doesn't see this simple truth

For things in life just aren't so simple

She is blind in the eyes in appearance

But blind in the heart in reality

So her feet guide her, just as blind

But still

Her feet are indeed her true eyes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There we go. I hope you've enjoyed this short (but hopefully sweet) 'Toph' poem. Please R&R!


	4. Dance

This poem is a little more of a story than poetry, aside from form, that is. This takes place immediately before a younger Toph runs away and meets the badger-mole in the dark cave. And I mean, immediately before. You shall understand, I hope, once you finish reading this poem. If not, I apologize for my lack of clarity. As for the theme (dance), this poem is also, almost, based on my feelings towards the subject and completely biased. Please don't complain if you don't like dancing or anything related to it; I said I'm sorry already.

Disclaimer: … … …If you're waiting for me to say it, you're wasting your breath, bat-boy. I've already said "IT" three times before; why should I now? Alright, you know what? I'm _not_ going to say it. Let's just see what happens then, aye? …Yeah, I see you swingin' that thing…

* * *

_The music was soft,_

_Easy as it was played._

_Their feet danced,_

_They swept across the room._

_I had followed my parents again._

_They had been invited to a ball._

_I hadn't._

_They were inside the mansion, warm and regal;_

_I was outside, cold and in my nightgown._

_I sat on the damp ground,_

_In front of a window, _

_Hidden in the mansion's gardens,_

_Watching everyone inside._

_I'd never learned to dance, but,_

_Now as I "watched" the movements,_

_I realized,_

_It was the most beautiful thing my blind eyes had ever "seen."_

_The way their feet stepped ever so carefully,_

_Their hips swayed easily to the music,_

_Their hands, secured in their lover's, so calm and still,_

_Even the music itself danced through the air._

_Everyone was dancing,_

_The noblemen,_

_Their wives,_

_Their children,_

_Even the servants in the kitchen._

_I was, yet again, alone._

_A tear slipped down my cheek,_

_But I was too busy to notice._

_I was memorizing their steps,_

_Their positions, movements, the songs._

_I wanted to be able to do what they were,_

_Just like them, like a normal person._

_I sat there all night watching,_

_Until my parents finally left._

_I went home to bed, cold, and wet,_

_But filled with something special: a_

_Feeling so strong, it bubbled inside of me._

_As I lay down my spinning head for rest:_

_Passion._

_A feeling of strength and weightlessness, _

_Peace and assurance, it was._

_I wanted to be beautiful._

_I wanted to do something amazing._

_I wanted to be graceful._

_I wanted to do something special._

_I wanted to dance._

_My parents didn't._

_They told me dancing was,_

_Pointless, useless, foolish, dangerous, nothing._

_They told me "no."_

_Everything I'd experienced last night,_

_The hope, the beauty, the dream,_

_The passion, everything,_

_Feel apart, my heart broke, tears fell,_

_I felt empty inside._

_I ran away._

_I ran to a cave where I could be as lost and alone as I felt._

_I sat still and cried when suddenly,_

_Something amazing and special happened,_

_Something full of beauty and grace, wonder:_

_I found a friend in the dark._

_I learned to bend the earth._

_But I also learned anything thing:_

_As the Gaang helped to point out to me,_

_I've realized, on that day in the cave years ago, through Earthbending,_

_I learned to dance._

* * *

It didn't take so long to write this as it did to publish it. If you read certain areas of my profile page, you will understand a bit more. If you don't, I'm just slow, and I apologize. As for the poem, I hope you enjoyed. Please R&R!


	5. Sand and Stone

Here I wrote a bunch of haikus. The poem is about Toph and fear, including a few of her own. Seeing as none of my poems have exactly been canon before, I believe it's safe to assume that not all of her fears mentioned here are either. With that said, I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **Hmm...Alright, I left it out last time, seeing as I had mentioned it before in even more previous times, and I was curious. Nothing bad has happened (yet), so I think I'll skip it this time...'kay? ...Is anybody even listening? ...Hello?? ...Disclaimer-Demon-with-Bat, hello?! ...anyone?

* * *

She was tough, a rock.

Nothing could make her tremble.

She was never scared.

Well, maybe a bit.

But they were small fears, pebbles

Against the mountain.

But they were still there,

These small common fears of hers.

There were quite a few.

Heights were among them.

Up high where she couldn't see,

It made her nervous.

She liked her sweet earth

In her hands, controlled power.

High up, she couldn't.

She feared falling, too.

Whether from the air or ground,

She didn't like it.

It made her look small,

Foolish, helpless, a blind klutz.

She had to look strong.

She feared her feelings.

She blushed quite a bit really,

But tried to hide it.

Blushing made her weak,

Like a naïve school-girl with

Her head in the clouds.

She disliked needles.

They were unpredictable

And, of course, painful.

She'd take broken bones

Over a single pin prick

All day, any day.

She hated water.

She couldn't swim, couldn't see,

Couldn't even breathe.

Like falling and heights,

It made her look something she

Didn't want to be.

She dreaded the sand.

Like her fears, appearing small,

It swallowed her whole.

They were opposites.

She was stone, and fear was sand.

No way could she lose.

But she feared her fears.

She was afraid of all these

Human emotions.

Stone mountains can't cry,

So why should she? She was strong,

Too strong for nightmares.

She feared more things yet.

Fire, thunder, losing someone,

Dying, crying, change.

Some were rational,

But most of her qualms weren't.

She was just afraid.

Of course, no one knows

Even mountains can crumble.

She makes sure of that.

If they saw the cracks,

She'd truly break, lose the fight.

Stone can't lose to sand.

Still, on some late nights,

She feels fear creeping toward her.

She can only cry.

Although, it's as if

Her tears turn the sand to mud

Which she bends away.

Another fight won,

One more victory for her,

More to surely come.

Sand and stone, clashing,

Always locked in a battle.

Opposites attract.

Her fears and her heart,

In a circle, moving on,

Stiff stone and soft sand.

* * *

After every good piece of work (and sometimes bad--I leave it up to you the readers to judge which one this is), I usually feel a tiny bit of contentment at getting something done, especially something I like. However, after making myself sit down and do this, I didn't really feel anything. I just wrote it, that's it. Oh, well... I hope you have felt some of the joy I missed out on. If so, please review. Thank you!


	6. Amor y Dolor

"Amor y Dolor" is (hopefully) translated as "Love and Pain"

This poem may be confusing, so I will explain everything to the best of my ability in the end. Please enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** ...No...

* * *

_Why does it hurt?  
How can they make it hurt?  
Every time I close my eyes,  
Right before me, I see  
Every friend, the scars they created._

_The pain is always here,  
Hidden from them, but I still see it.  
Everyday he cuts my yearning, young heart  
Right open with gentle hands, unaware of  
Every scar and sting his touch brings._

_I still smile, though, so no one  
Sees the marks of friendship they cut into my heart._

_Lovely stars above my sightless eyes, she pointed them  
Out to me with a  
Voice cold as her village.  
Every starry night brings back the chill down my spine._

_That little gust of wind pushing me  
High off the battle arena,  
Ending the Blind Bandit's fame, killing my pride.  
Rushing away like a scared little girl also crushed my  
Ego, even if he didn't mean to burn me._

_Is there a reason the ones I love cause the most  
Suffering?_

_Pointless pains, I know, but they still  
Ache. However, I know love hurts, but  
I love it too much to hurt too much.  
Naïve, I know I am, but such is love, no? And with it, I'll live._

* * *

First of all, this is an acrostic poem. An acrostic poem is one where you read the first letter of each line in sequence, and it forms a word or message. In this case, I used a Spanish proverb. It says, "Where there is love, there is pain." I thought it sounded nice, so I used it.

As for the poem itself and its meaning and whatnot, the poem relates to the proverb. It is about Toph and a pain each of her friends have inflicted upon her, small or not-so-small, knowingly or unaware, it doesn't matter. Sokka is the one who cuts her yearning heart open everyday. Even though it is highly believed she had a crush on him, they don't, obviously, end up together. He has never been aware of, much less returned, her supposed feelings. Thus, he is hurting her. Still, she hides her pains behind a smile.

Katara is next. In the episode where a mysterious machine chases them, they, sleep-deprived, grow testy. Katara and Toph fight, and Katara, quite loudly, says something along the lines of, "Wow, the stars sure are beautiful tonight. Too bad you can't see them, Toph!" I'm almost a 100% sure that stung.

As for the gust of wind, I'm referring to when Aang first met Toph. He entered the battle ring and in self defense, used airbending. It blew Toph off the structure entirely and angered her. Such a humiliating event had to have hurt a tiny bit.

Then when she rushed away, I'm referring to Toph retreating from Zuko's little campsite after he accidentally burnt her feet. That had to have been another blow to her pride that hurt in more ways than one.

Despite all of this, though, in the last few stanzas, she is saying, basically, the pain is worth her friendships, and she'll get through it fine.

I apologize for this little, random puzzle, but I had to do it. I also apologize for its extremely short length. The explanation of it was longer. Still, please review, and thank you for reading.


	7. Fairytales

I apologize for the overly-extended wait, but there were a few...complications. Anywho, this poem is supposed to be a Shakespearean sonnet, and I hope you enjoy reading it and, hopefully, reviewing it. I believe the title of this poem should give a hint as to the content of it.

**Disclaimer:** ...I have just about given up on even putting this up here, but I still think I should at least type the word 'Disclaimer', ya know? It at least makes it look like I tried.

* * *

She recalls those sunny childhood days,

Spent indoors or in the garden, either one.

She recalls her favourite thing above all games,

Fairytales, read from books or in verses sung.

Like any little girl, she loved these many stories.

Princess, castles, beasts, magic all around,

It's not what she heard, but rather what she did feel,

As she reveled in this joy, dreamland-bound.

Their swords, speeches, fights, horses, too,

All about the noble knights fascinated her.

The suspense, romance, adventures, old and new,

How she wished they were apart of her world.

Her infatuation is indeed hard to describe,

But if it wasn't, then could love truly be blind?

-

What would she be, were she in the myth,

The knight, princess, dragon, fairy?

Perhaps just a tree under which one sits,

Or perhaps a little of all of these.

A knight's courage, a princess's grace,

A dragon's fiery spirit, a fairy's power,

A tree's ability to endure all the days,

She's everything, every petal of the flower.

She could never see the elaborate pictures,

Dancing across the pages of the story book,

Nor could she read any of the black words,

But it was fine with her never to have a look.

Every picture, every word, was painted,

Beautifully inside her very own head.

-

Daydreaming away in her bliss,

Even more at night in her sleep,

Waiting for her savior, her loving kiss,

A bright light, magic, for her to keep.

Pending rescue, she keeps hope in sight,

Though trapped in her tower of darkness.

And yet, of all her valiant knights,

She is the bravest and the strongest.

In her head, she slays the dragon,

And lives on to save another day yet.

After she bravely claims her kingdom,

Her knight carries her off into the sunset.

Even stone children such as her

Dream of their own happily, ever after.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed reading this one!


	8. Blush

This poem is probably the first semi-humorous one I've ever done, so I'm a bit curious as to how everyone of you out there will take to it. I have other ideas for attempts at humour, but first I would like to know if anyone even enjoys it. We shall see...

**Disclaimer:** I have been reassured that no Disclaimer-Demon will jump me, so I feel safe now. Thanks!

* * *

The mysterious warmth

Crawling across her cheeks

Grows redder and redder.

Not that she can see it.

-

Katara had warned her

Of her obvious blushing,

But Toph didn't believe that

Feelings could be so easily seen.

-

She couldn't help it.

Whenever Sokka passed,

His movements alone

Made her breath catch.

-

She loved the way his voice

Wove and swirled about her mind.

And the way he sounded when he laughed.

She had every chuckle memorized.

-

Even if she didn't appear it,

Underneath the sarcastic mask,

She felt giddy and light inside

Whenever it was she he looked at.

-

Sure, she couldn't really see

Any glance or smile of his,

But she could feel their warmth.

That was the strength of their relationship.

-

Without speaking a word,

They understand each other.

They exchanged their affection

With fists to see who was tougher.

-

A faint blush appeared when she sensed him.

Everything about the boy she loved,

She realized. And as he passed her by,

Their hands ever so slightly touched.

-

Her face quickly warmed

Much to her distant horror.

She was pulled out of her thoughts

When he turned towards her.

-

Not to let him realize her crush,

She spun around on the spot,

So quickly that she stumbled

And rammed her foot into a rock.

-

The stream of curses she yelled

Made the boy perk his ears up.

Even if not for the reason she had hoped,

That was the first time she made _him_ blush.

* * *

I hope you've enjoyed this one. R&R, please!


End file.
